Press Releases
Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida Forms the Science and Technology Diplomacy Advisory Network and Meets with Members of the Advisory Board for the Promotion of Science and Technology Diplomacy
1. On December 16, Mr. Fumio Kishida, Minister for Foreign Affairs has decided to form the Science and Technology Diplomacy Advisory Network in order to gather specialized knowledge in a variety of science and technology fields for the Science and Technology Advisor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and utilize it in the process of planning and formulating various diplomatic policies, including high-level bilateral and multilateral diplomacy. As part of this, Minister Kishida appointed 17 academic experts (PDF)
in science and technology diplomacy-related fields as members of the Advisory Board for the Promotion of Science and Technology Diplomacy, and held a meeting with the members with the presence of Professor Teruo Kishi, Science and Technology Advisor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
2. At the meeting, Minister Kishida expressed his hope to enhance Japan’s science and technology diplomacy by utilizing the expertise of the Advisor Board for the Promotion of Science and Technology Diplomacy which ensures the Science and Technology Advisor’s anticipated role to be fully manifested.
3. Prof. Kishi explained the direction of his efforts as Science and Technology Advisor and his views on the framework of this Advisory Board, and the members expressed their expectations toward future science and technology diplomacy from a wide variety of perspectives, based on their own specialized fields.
(Note) The Science and Technology Diplomacy Advisory Network
(1) A report submitted to the Minister for Foreign Affairs by the Advisory Panel on Science and Technology Diplomacy (chaired by Dr. Takashi Shiraishi, President of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies) in May this year included the recommendation that a Science and Technology Advisor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs be appointed on a trial basis, and that a framework be prepared for assisting the Science and Technology Advisor through the formation of a network that strengthens coordination between relevant people and organizations. The Science and Technology Diplomacy Advisory Network was launched today based on this recommendation.
(2) This Network comprises of: 1) the Advisory Board for the Promotion of Science and Technology Diplomacy, which is composed of academic experts; 2) specialists in individual fields; and 3) relevant public organizations concerned with science and technology diplomacy.
(3) Today, 17 individuals, including personnel from private-sector companies and academic experts in various science and technology fields such as life science and medicine, environment and information and communication technology, were appointed as members of the Advisory Board for the Promotion of Science and Technology Diplomacy, in addition to the chair and members of the above-mentioned Advisory Panel on Science and Technology Diplomacy. The structures for the specialist members and government-related organizations mentioned in 2) and 3) are also scheduled to be prepared in the future.